Inspector nabbed for extortion, posing as Crime Branch officer

The Dindoshi police have arrested a sub-inspector of Sewree police station for allegedly extorting ornaments worth Rs 17 lakh and Rs 7 lakh in cash from a Malad-based businessman. They are on the lookout for two constables and an informer who allegedly aided the officer.

The PSI, identified as Prashant Mane, and the two constables, Laad and Chauhan, had approached Mohammed Asif Shaikh along with two other accused, pretending to be Crime Branch officers and threatened to arrest him, after accusing him of operating a hawala racket.

Cop in the dock: PSI Prashant Mane had allegedly extorted a booty of Rs 24 lakh from a Malad-based businessman

Last Monday, the (real) Crime Branch officers had arrested co-accused Akbar Shaikh (36), Abdul Rahim (34) and Salman Khan (22) in the same case. After interrogating them, they learnt that Khan is Mohammed's nephew. He told one of Mane's informers, Imran Ghachi, that Mohammed had a lot of hawala money lying around in his house.

According to Inspector Sopan Chaudhury of Dindoshi police station, "Khan, who is related to Mohammed, had informed Imran that he had a lot of cash in his house."

Imran relayed the information to Mane, who then hatched the plan to extort money from Mohammed. On August 23, Mane approached Mohammed, along with his constables, and introduced himself as a Crime Branch officer.

They accused Mohammed of dealing in hawala money and, threatening that they could get him arrested, extorted the booty from him.

"The accused warned Mohammed not to inform the police about the incident. Last Sunday, the accused had called him and demanded more money. Mohammed suspected foul play and registered a case against them with the Dindoshi police," said Chowdhury.

"On Tuesday, we arrested Mane and are on the lookout for the two constables," said Chowdhury.